With a hiring freeze hanging over their heads, Gilroy police officers have to do more with less these days, and that means calling on a few good Gilroy men and women to provide extra pairs of eyes and ears on the street.

Fewer abandoned vehicles cluttering Gilroy streets, more well-run crime scenes and extra support at city events are just a few side effects of the current Volunteers in Policing program, 25 members strong. But Police Chief Denise Turner comes from a precinct with a larger VIP force and hopes to ramp up participation in her new town. She envisions an outfit of 30 to 40 volunteers to cushion the impact of budget cuts by freeing up police officers for more pressing duties, like catching the bad guys.

"It would be nice to have our own little army of eyes and ears," Turner said.

The current VIPs provide a vast array of services. They file documents. They help remove unsightly abandoned vehicles from the streets. They even watch over holiday shoppers who leave their valuables in plain sight in their cars.

"It may sound small but it's a big deal," said Sgt. Jim Gillio.

The VIPs are responsible for taking more than 1,000 abandoned vehicles off the street, said Pat Moore, VIP coordinator and engineering manager by day.

VIPs act as liaisons between the public and the police department, Moore said. They are often the first wave of emergency responders the public encounters.

The VIP program began in 2001 aiming to provide support to Gilroy police and fire departments so that officers could be working their beats, rather than doing some of the menial tasks VIPs volunteer to do. They operate with a $5,000 annual budget that pays for conferences, trainings and uniforms. VIPs logged 5,000 volunteer hours last year and 20,000 hours over the life of the program.

One of the main duties of VIPs is to respond to emergency situations - accidents, hostage situations and other crime scenes. They are constantly on call but, unlike police officers, they can always decline to respond. Most receive on-the-job experience as their primary means of training, but newbies are constantly under the watchful eye of a veteran, Moore said, carefully reiterating that VIPs don't replace paid staff. They supplement it.

On the scene, VIPs take guidance from the police and often end up directing traffic or enforcing crime lines. Often, they have the tough job of telling bystanders to stay back or directing reporters to the appropriate information officer.

"Our VIPs definitely lighten the load for traffic control at crime scenes," Gillio said. "Otherwise, we would be tying up staff or calling someone in on overtime."

However, VIPs are prohibited from taking enforcement action and learn from the start how to accurately report a crime so that responding police officers don't step into a situation blind. And since they're not equipped with guns, their best defense is running as fast as they can, several laughed.

"You cannot get involved because then you become a part of the problem," Moore said.

Many of the volunteers joined the program out of curiosity or a desire to give back to their community.

"You become much more aware," said Tammy Stone, VIP of six years, who joined to try and break down some of the barriers between the average citizen and police. Through volunteering, several VIPs said they gained a newfound respect for police work, and learned a few things about their communities and their law enforcement officers along the way. All were enthusiastic about donating their time and talents and encouraged their fellow citizens to join the growing force.

"Anybody can do this as long as they're trained," Moore said.

How to volunteer

-get fingerprinted, complete application and interview

-be 18 or older

-live or work in Gilroy

-have a valid driver's license

-have no felony convictions

-have no misdemeanor convictions within one year of application

-pass a background check

-attend monthly meeting

-complete required citizen police academy

-serve minimum 8 hours per month

-be of good moral character

Contact Pat Moore at 422-3083, or pat.moore@ci.gilroy.ca.us